Handbook

Phased delivery — ceremonies (prescriptive)

Below: typical stage-gate ceremonies. Adjust names to your PMO standard (PRINCE2, PMBOK, internal SDLC).

1. Initiation / charter (gate: project authorized)

Intent: C1.


Inputs	Business case draft, high-level scope, constraints
Outputs	Signed charter; appointed PM; initial RAID
Participants	Sponsor (R), PM (R), key stakeholders (C)
Timebox	Project-sized (days–weeks)

Agenda: problem statement → success measures → high-level scope → risks → decision.

Intent: C1 + C2.


Inputs	Requirements outline, estimates, dependencies
Outputs	Baseline schedule, WBS, budget, communication plan
Participants	PM (R), BA (R), tech lead (R), sponsor (A on go)

Meetings: planning workshop series; document baseline change rules.

Intent: C2 + C4 (quality of solution pre-build).


Inputs	Design docs, NFR matrix, security/privacy assessment
Outputs	Approved design baseline or actions list
Participants	Tech lead (R), security/architecture peers (C), PM (O)

Agenda: walkthrough → risks → decision / conditions.

Intent: C3 + C1 (escalations).


Inputs	Schedule variance, RAID updates, burn/EVM if used
Outputs	Decisions, escalations, comms pack
Participants	PM (R), team leads (R), sponsor (O unless steering that week)

Timebox: 30–60 min.

Intent: C4.


Inputs	Test plans, environments, entry criteria, traceability matrix
Outputs	Go to formal test / hold with actions
Participants	QA lead (R), tech lead (R), PM (R)

Intent: C4.


Inputs	UAT scripts, training materials, stable build
Outputs	Signed acceptance or defect list with severity
Participants	Business owner (A), BA (R), PM (R), support (O)

Prescriptive rule: Define objective acceptance (pass/fail per script), not “looks fine.”

Intent: C1 + E.


Inputs	Release checklist, rollback plan, comms, support roster
Outputs	Go / no-go; dated release
Participants	PM (R), ops (R), sponsor (A), security (C)

Intent: C5 + C6.


Inputs	Benefits measures, incident data, budget final
Outputs	Lessons learned register; follow-up actions
Participants	Sponsor (O), PM (R), BA, tech lead, operations (R)